Coaster and holder for beverage can



- J. PAPROCKI COASTER AND uoz'maka FOR BEVERAGE cm July 21s, 1959 FiledApril 26, 1957 MENTR Edward J Paproclr/ Affomey United States Patent O M2,896,812 I COASTER AND HOLDER FOR BEVERAGE CAN Edward J. Paprocki,Holliswood, N.Y. Application April 26, 1957, Serial No. 655,305 1 Claim.Cl. 220-455 Generically, the invention relates to a useful andornamental drinking device, and specifically it encompasses a combinedcoaster and holder for the conventional beer or beverage can, tofacilitate drinking from the can and to additionally provide anaccoutrement for the can which has aesthetic and artistic worth.

The beer and soft drink can as sold today has become increasinglypopular, because of its relatively low cost, ease of storage andhandling and because beverages can be stored virtually indefinitely. Thecans are sold individually, in handy carry packages and by the case inevery supermarket, delicatessen and grocery store in the United States,many drug stores vend them' and there are numbers of distributors whocater to direct-to-home delivery.

Drinking the beverage from the can in the home and elsewhere is subjectto several major disadvantages. When the can is placed on furniture inthe home it tends to stain the table or other top, due to the moisturecondensation on the bottom rim of the can when the liquid has beenrefrigerated. Another disadvantage is that with several people gatheredin the sitting or other room drinking from the can, the cans areunsightly, and many prefer, for that reason, to pour from the can into aglass, and drink from the latter. But actually, drinking from the can ispreferable because the beverage tastes cooler.

I have invented a combined beverage can holder and coaster, theprincipal object of which is to provide a combined coaster and canholder which is attached with the utmost ease to the can and whenattached, becomes an ornamental, useful and artistic object which makesdrinking from the can a pleasurable undertaking. Another object is theprovision of a built-in coaster which protects furniture and the likefrom staining.

Another object envisions an article which is in itself a work of art andcan be used as a candle holder or a decorative object.

Still another object contemplates a combined coaster and holder whichwhen attached to a beer or other beverage can becomes, in efiect, astein with an attractice hinged or snap up top, a graceful, arcuate-likehandle, and the body portion the can itself.

These and other objects will be manifest after a perusal of thesubjoined specification and claim.

Briefly described, my invention includes a curved, flexible handleportion attached at its lower end to a rimmed coaster, while the upperend carries an attractive hinged or snap type top.

Several of these used by the family or social gathering makes drinkingfrom the can an enjoyable social pastime. Furniture is protected, thesteins or Steinettes. enhance the decor of the room, and when the cansare removed from the coaster and holder to be discarded, the inventionis a decorative piece in and of itself.

In the specification, where reference is made to beer I intend that anybeverage adapted to be sold in a can is intended to be included in theinventive concept. However, since beer drinking is indulged in by a vastdevice.

2,896,812 Patented July 28, 1959 multitude of people, my invention isparticularly adaptable for converting beer cans into a steininstantaneously and can be used by brewers to advertise theirwares togreat advantage.

It is further within the inventive concept, that not only beverage cansare intended to be used with my invention, but containers of aluminum,glass, metal, plastics or any other man-made materials which may be heldby my of course, the beverage may be poured directly into the glass orthe like and consumed.

Fig. 1 shows an elevational view of the coaster and Fig. 4 shows afragmentary view of the bottom portion 7 of the beer can holder appliedto a beer can.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the top clamping element.

Fig. 6 shows a modification ot the top clamping element. I

Fig. 7 is an elevational view of amodification of the holder presentinga modified coaster and manner of attaching the handle.

Fig. 8 shows a top view of another modification .of the top clampingelement. I

With reference to the drawings, in carrying out the invention 5 denotesthe combined coaster and holder, with numeral 6 denoting the handleportion which may be formed of a strip of'mild spring steel, or anysuitable flexible material having the desired inherent strength andresiliency, particularly in an endwise direction. Handle 6 is made ofsufliciently wide strip, for example, /8" so that its upper inturnedflange 7 provides ample gripping surface for the bead or rim of theconventional beverage can. From flange 7 handle 6 extends outwardly anddownwardly in a graceful curve to form the main portion 8 terminating inlower end 9 which is bent and extends through an opening 12 in upper rim12 of coaster 10, extends across embossing 20 and is soldered, brazed orotherwise secured to and supports the bottom of recessed cup 11 of thecoaster.

Member 6 is so formed that when that suflicient resilient pressure in anendwise direction is applied to the top bead of the can to cause thecan, when wedged into coaster 10, to be held securely therein.

Coaster 10 is provided with upper rim 12, which may be rounded, theinner periphery of which flows into and forms recessed cup 11, embossedas at 20 and the coaster so formed is adapted to securely receive, holdand support the bottom of beverage can C, which is usually similarlyembossed.

For aesthetic purposes the outer periphery of rim 12 merges withoutwardly flared supporting portion or skirt 13.

Inwardly of the inturned upper flange 7 of handle 6 is pivoted as at 19,a cap or top 15 having outwardly and upwardly extending depressor orthumb lever 16 afiixed thereto, by soldering, brazing, or other suitablemeans. Cap 15 may be bell shaped with a plurality of circumferentiallydisposed rims 17 and rounded top 18 for artistic, aesthetic andutilitarian purposes.

In the presentation herein cap 15 is shown frusto-bell shaped but Icontemplate that other shapes may be employed-for example, the top maybe flat or any other suitable configuration, the purpose of the cap ortop 15 being to open and close the top of the beverage can C bymanipulation of the thumb lever 16. And in this connection I may have aspring wire coiled at a pivot 19 to When containers other than cans areemployed,

reclose the cap-15 when thumb lever 16 is depressed and cap 15 opens,although this'isnotessential, as the top 15 is held open manually whenthe lever 16 is pressed down and the handle. grasped.

his a simple matter to place the beverage canwith' its upper edge:placed under depending inturnedfiange 7'; then with mildpressure on thecan exerted by handle 6 it wedges itself with the lower rim securelyheld in em ployed. The gripping element may assurne'the shape of adouble grip 21, the handle 6' may be tubular (not shown), and while onepreferredform of the device is fabricated of metal, I contemplatemanufacturing from plastics or any man-made material having the desiredcharacteristics;

The handle 6 may be attached to the coaster element'- 23 as shown inFig. 7, by afiixing to the outside thereof, and this coaster 23 is mademore rigid by curliiig' or beading the lower edge 24 as shown in Fig. 7.And the. handle may be ribbed or of any form giving the desiredresiliency.

Finally, and importantly I contemplate using any con tainers other thancans with my invention, such as glassware, aluminum, plastics or anyother man-made materials. Alsoto grip the rims of such containers 1' mayemploy the modification shown in Fig. 8 with the trifurcated grip 25 toassure holding of the upper rim. I reserve the right to make otherchanges or modifications.

I claim:

A combined coaster andlhold'er for releasably and resiliently holding acylindrical container which has a rim on its opposite ends, a bottomincluding a recessed cup provided with an upstanding rim with an openingtherein, said cup of the coaster being adapted to receive and hold thebottom of thecontainer therein, the coaster also having an outwardlyflared and downwardly extending supporting skirt, a bell-shaped top, acurved resilient spring handle member extending between the top andcoaster, the upper end portion of the handle terminating in a downturnedflange, the top being pivoted to an upper end portion of the handleadjacent the downturned flange,

the lower end of thelhandle extending through the opening and having apart thereof extending t-herebeyond, the said extending part of thehandle being rigidly affixed to an underside adjacent portion of thebottom of the coaster,

a finger engageable means mounted on the top, the lowermostedge of theskirt beingin a lower plane. than the s'aid'extending part of thehandle,the skirt thus forming a firm support for the. combined coasterand holder,

and the container being resiliently and releasably held by the handleand bottom when the flange of the'upper end of the handle is extendedoveran adjacent upper portion of the container and when the lowerportion of the container is seated in the recessed bottom of" thecoaster.

I References Cited in the file-of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D.l54,588 Collins .July 26, 1949 1,166,209 Hofiman Dec. 28, 1915 1,446,474Mahnken Feb. 27,, 1923. 1,505,369 Brown- Aug. 19, 192 2,801,743 GeenAug. 6, 1957'- V FOREIGN PATENTS 277,569 Great Britain Sept. 22', 1927

